Stuck in this world
by dark5731
Summary: Kenshin was abandoned as a child. He is now living a stable life. He is treatening to commit suicide but what happens when he meets the girl of his dreams literally? KK please R
1. Prologue

**Stuck in This World**

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own it in my dreams.**

Kenshin had a very rough childhood. When Kenshin was first born, he was abandoned, left in the streets to die. He was a bit lucky, as of a young man had found him and put him into the orphanage to be taken care of. He had been to about five homes and not one of them liked him.

The first time a family had adopted him, he was about three. They were caring enough , but about a month later they got sick of him and brought him back.

The second family was abusive and when the orphanage found out they were too late as Kenshin had already gotten a scar on his left cheek from his eye to his chin. By that time he was only about five.

The third family that took him in wasn't very nice nor abusive. In fact they just completely ignored him. They soon found out that Kenshin was just a waste of food and soon returned him to where he had come from, the orphanage.

The fourth family was huge and I guess they just wanted to take him out of the misery of having to stay in the small confinement called the orphanage. They took him into their household and was cared for as their own. The large family consists of three boys and four girls, all of which were they're own children. Kenshin was the only one adopted and he seemed to be getting all of the attention. The other children didn't like it and they had always picked fights with him. All of the fights Kenshin won. When he won all the children would go to their parents crying and complaining that Kenshin had hit them. The family thought that Kenshin was starting all of the fights and they thought that he was abusive. They wanted him gone and they got what they all wished for. Kenshin was already about twelve when he returned for the fourth time.

Then the fifth family came and they brought him into their home. They were happy and a very good family but a tragedy occurred which changed everything. The father had just had a little argument with Kenshin and went to go for a drive to clear his head. He was hit by a drunk driver who later got arrested. The father was hit pretty hard and brought to the hospital. The hospital did all they could in their power to try to save him. The doctors couldn't stop him from internal bleeding. He died during the surgery. When the mother heard of this news, she became upset and drank her way out of everything. She blamed the accident on Kenshin and she became abusive when she got drunk. The orphanage heard of this incident but thought that the mother could handle it. But apparently she couldn't. They soon took Kenshin out of the woman's custody and brought him back but he had gotten another scar overlapping the previous one forming a cross shaped scar.

The orphanage had finally decided that Kenshin was somehow cursed and kept him there until he was old enough to take care of himself. He grew older as the years passed.

When he turned sixteen he was able to finally move out of the orphanage and take care of himself. He rented an apartment and got a job for himself, somehow. He then earned enough money to buy himself a small house. By the time this had happened Kenshin was already another year older. He was however someway cold to everyone he met. Maybe it was his childhood but maybe that was just how he was. Cold in his ways as if he saw nothing of the world.

Kenshin was living not as many could. He was trapped inside a body without a soul. He was just an emotionless shell. He believed that he wasn't meant to live. He lived his life regretting the day that he was born, yet nothing was tying him to this world. Nothing. He was only living to die. He could leave whenever he wanted yet he stayed. No one knew why Kenshin stayed on this world being the person that he was.


	2. Dreamer

**Stuck in This World**

**Chapter One: Dreamer**

**Disclaimer: I wish, I wish upon a star...**

Kenshin got up from his bed early in the morning. He turned off the annoying beeping of his alarm clock and stretched. Kenshin was tired of living this life as if he had a purpose. He wanted to end this game of life but something was keeping him to this world. Kenshin knew not what this was but continued his search. Kenshin walked out of his room and into the bathroom. He went and took a quick shower to wake him up. He was done about fifteen minutes later. Kenshin walked out of the bathroom with a towel on his waist and into his room.

He looked himself in the mirror. Kenshin was about 5 foot 6 inches tall. He was pretty short being his age of 17. He had long red hair tied back into a low ponytail and purple/ golden eyes. He had a great build; not stocky or too bulky. Kenshin had two biceps rings on his right arm. He traced the cross- shaped scar on his left cheek delicately with a finger. Kenshin heaved a heavy sigh and walked to his pile of laundry left in the corner.

Kenshin dug deeply into it and came up with a pair of black jeans and a gray tee shirt. He grabbed a pair of clean boxers from his drawer and put them on. He lazily put on the rest of his clothing. After he dressed himself, he walked to the mirror once again and sighed. Kenshin took his wallet as he walked to his door and opened it.

Kenshin's house was much cleaner than his room. He walked down the stairs and to the hall. He grabbed his keys left on the side table by the front door and exited. He walked to his driveway and hopped onto his motorcycle. Kenshin turned the key into the ignition and drove away to school.

Kenshin parked his bike and set off toward the building. There wasn't anybody there of course, because he was always earlier than everyone else. He passed by the front entrance and the teachers allowed him in. Kenshin numbly nodded to each one of them as they greet him good morning.

Though Kenshin rarely pays any attention in class, he is very intelligent and is known throughout the school. All the teachers know that he does more studying than he leads onto. Though his intelligence is known throughout the school, no one knows of his pain and suffering.

Kenshin made his way to his locker and slowly opened it. He bended down and grabbed his things for his first class. Kenshin held the door, wondering if he forgot anything.

"Hey Kenshin!" a loud voice shouted from behind the locker door. Kenshin jumped and shut his locker, revealing the man with the loud voice.

This man had chocolate brown eyes and spiky brown hair. He was the same age as Kenshin though much taller. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and red tee shirt and a red bandana.

"I said 'Hey Kenshin,'" he said.

"Hey Sanosuke. Sorry, I'm a little out of it," Kenshin replied.

"No prob. Late night working?"

"Yeah," Kenshin sighed.

They both walked quietly to their next class, history. When they walked in they saw only a few students. The other students watched as the two took their usual seat in the back. Kenshin put up his book and lay his head on the desk. He started fiddling with his pencil as he lazily studied the pages in the book. Sanosuke just stared at him, confused. The students started filing in as the bell was about to ring. Kenshin didn't even flinch as the bell rang. The teacher walked in seconds later.

"Good morning class," the teacher said as he took his seat.

The students, in unison, replied with "Good morning."

"Now class, if you would all turn to page 132, we can begin our lesson." The students groaned as they opened their book.

Sano turned to the page and looked at Kenshin. Kenshin paid no mind to anything that had happened. He just kept studying the pages. Slowly... very slowly... Kenshin's eyes started to close.

_Kenshin was sitting on the ground. It wasn't hard but moist. He took his hand and touch it. It was soil. He turned his head and looked around. It looked like he was in a forest of some type. It didn't seem like it was morning either. He looked up and saw that the moon and stars were out. The moon was full and shining down on him. Kenshin looked at his hands and he held a knife covered in blood. Lying down on the ground next to him was a body._

_It was a man with spiky brown hair. He was splattered with blood still slowly leaking out of the wound to the heart. Kenshin looked again to his hands covered by the red sticky liquid. He looked back to the body. Kenshin dropped the knife as he realized that it was Sano._

"_No.." Kenshin quietly whispered. "No..no...**NNNOOOOO!**"_

"NNNNOOOOOOO!" Kenshin screamed as he jolted up from his classroom nap.

Everyone turned to look at him strangely, even the teacher.

"Dude, you all right?" Sano asked.

"Sano?" Kenshin whispered. "Is it really you?"

"Of course it's me. Who else would it be?"

The sound of the teacher clearing his throat interrupted the conversation.

"Mr. Himura? You don't look so fine."

"I don't?" He was mopped with sweat.

"No you don't. Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"I don't know," Kenshin replied.

"Well I think you do." Just then the bell rang. "Himura?" Kenshin turned to look. "Be sure to get to the nurse, you might have a fever."

"Okay..," Kenshin replied as he walked out the door with Sano.

"So..."

"So.. What?"

"So what was all that about back there?" Sano asked curious.

"Nothing," Kenshin replied blandly.

"Nothing? NOTHING? You woke up in class screaming! You call that NOTHING?" Sano exclaimed. A few people looked their way. Sano looked at them and the resumed their previous activity.

"It was nothing. Just another nightmare."

"You call that nothing? You've been having nightmares for the past month!" He started to attract attention again and decided to tone down his voice. "Don't you think that this might be a sign or something?" Sano whispered.

Kenshin didn't answer but continued to walk silently.

"Was it the same nightmare? About you in the forest where you had..k-" Sano choked and couldn't get the words out.

"Yeah..." Kenshin just replied solemnly. Silence passed between them. "Guess I should go see Megumi now."

"Yeah...see you man."

"Yeah.."

They both went their separate ways as they reached a hall. Kenshin going right while Sano went left. Soon the bell rang and all the students scurried to class. Kenshin paused at the staircase. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. Another.

_Kenshin hovered over the corpse of his friend Sano. He screamed out into the night only to hear his echoes reply_.

Kenshin woke from his sudden doze. He shook his head and decided to make his way down to see the nurse.

Kenshin walked down the steps and took a left and ended up in front of the nurse's office. He walked in slowly and looked around. He saw no one so he took a seat.

Seconds later he again fell asleep.

_As his echoes slowly disappeared, hot streams of tears flowed down his cheeks landing on the ground in front of him. Shaken by his own actions, he huddled himself into a small ball and cried silently into his arms._

"Kenshin?" a female voice sounded. Kenshin didn't stir but shivered violently. "Kenshin." The voice again. "Kenshin!" She sounded worried. He wouldn't wake so she decided to shake him. "Kenshin! KENSHIN?" Kenshin awoke.

"Kenshin... are you alright?" a woman with green- black hair asked.

"Yeah..."

"You had me worried for a second. What was that all about anyways?"

"Nothing, Megumi. I was just sleeping." Kenshin replied bluntly.

"Well, it sure didn't look like it," Megumi replied. A few seconds of silence passed. "What are you in here for this time?"

"Oh. I was sent here to have my temperature checked. He believes that I might have a fever," Kenshin said.

"Okay. Just lie down on the bed in the next room," she said as she went into the next room.

"Okay."

Kenshin walked to the next room and lay down on the bed. It was a shame that the bed was so soft. Kenshin just enjoyed the comfort and rested his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, he fell asleep.

_Kenshin carefully looked up from his arms and turned to look once again at the corpse. Slowly his gaze turned from the body to the blade shimmering in the moonlight. His eyes rested on it as he sluggishly crawled to the knife. Kenshin stopped and slouched to the ground just inches from the knife. He gripped it with all his might and directed the tip to his chest._

Megumi had just walked in the room holding a thermometer and saw Kenshin trembling. She dropped the thermometer and rushed to his side. She tried with all her effort to wake him but he wouldn't stir, though she didn't give up. It took a while but he finally woke.

She felt his forehead and rested her hand there. His head was freezing. She walked back to the entrance of the room and grabbed the thermometer she dropped. She wiped it off throughly and walked back to Kenshin.

"Now open and stick it under your tongue," she commanded.

He did as she said. Megumi stayed and watched Kenshin to be sure that he wouldn't fall asleep again. Silence filled the room as Kenshin returned to his normal state. Megumi decided that it would be a good time to take out the thermometer and she did. She shook it in the air a few times and looked at it.

"97.6̊. Looks like your fine but I'm not sending you back to class like this. You look like your dead and you keep falling asleep. My advice is for you to go home and get some sleep," she replied seriously.

Kenshin didn't reply but stared at the ground wide- eyed.

"Okay.. I don't exactly know what your nightmare was about but nightmares are just nightmares. They don't come to life. You must be under a lot of stress to be like this. I'm going to be giving you a pass home and make sure you get your sleep tonight."

She handed him the pass and he walked out.

"Oh.. And Kenshin," Kenshin turned to look at her. "if I were you, I would take that nightmare seriously. They only come as a sign," she said but then burst out laughing.

As he walked down the hall to the exit, teachers looked at him concerned. He ignored their looks and continued walking. Kenshin got to the exit and walked out. He headed to his motorcycle and stood by it when he reached it. Kenshin looked back to the school and saw Sano running out of the building.

"You going home, huh?" Sano said.

"Yeah but how'd you get out of class?"

"I just saw you in the window and asked the teacher if I could be excused."

"Yeah well you better get back to class before the teacher kills you." Kenshin pointed at all the teachers looking out the windows and Sano and him.

All the teachers looked worried for Kenshin because he would never leave school for anything. He knows how important school is, after all he missed his childhood education is still trying to pay off that time of slacking.

"Yeah, so see ya man!" Sano yelled as he started back to the school.

Kenshin got on his motorcycle and headed home.

**.:A/N - Sorry guys for the late update. I really have no excuse other than I was too lazy... sorry again! Hope this chapter pays off for the lateness. Anyways.. Thanks for all those who reviewed. Reviews please:.**


	3. Neighbors

**Stuck in This World**

**Chapter Two: Neighbors**

**Disclaimer: If only**…

Kenshin got up onto his motorcycle and started it up. He drove away not only from the school building but his worries and thoughts as well.

As he rode he saw a forest that he really never noticed before. He kept staring at it as he forgot about the dangers of not keeping the eyes on the road. Fortunately for him, he instinctively drove his way home without even needing to pay attention.

When he had arrived at home, he parked his bike, entered his home and dropped on the couch, face flat. He lay there and later, his grip on his keys lessened.

_He pointed the knife to his heart and with all his will power he pierced his skin with the knife. The knife dug deep into the main organ of his body. Slowly, he collapsed to the ground, growing numb._

Again, Kenshin woke with a scare. He sat straight up and stared at his palms in disbelief. He gathered himself together and dragged his feet towards the kitchen. There, he poured himself a cup of water and gulped it down. Kenshin poured another cup and stared at his reflection, solemnly. He sighed and drank it down as well. He slowly put the cup down and glared at the ground. He looked through the window only to find the stars and new moon out.

Kenshin lugged himself to the bathroom and turned on the faucet to the bathtub. He let it run while he gripped the sides of the sink and looked at himself. The bathtub filled too quickly as Kenshin rushed to stop the flow of water. He undressed and gradually lowered himself into the steaming water. He close his eyes and sat there enjoying his bath, letting the steam condense into water droplets on his face. He quietly napped as the dream became vivid once again.

_All he could see was a bright white light but a small voice came to him. _

Kenshin woke and splashed his way out of the tub. He hovered over the tub as he watched the water run down the drain. Kenshin, too tired to bother reaching for a towel, exited the bathroom and walked into his room, dripping wet.

He put on a pair of boxers and walked to the open window. He leaned out and watched the night's traffic as he air- dried. Finally making his way to his bed, he lay there, trying to get some sleep.

Sleep wouldn't come to him after all the little naps he had had that day. He decided he needed some nice fresh air. He put on some clothes and headed out.

Kenshin walked around the block for a while and decided to head back. One thing he noticed new was that the house next door to him was sold. He had seen the sign in front of the house for a couple days now and it seemed the new family was moving in tonight. While he stood in front of the house, he noticed the family had a beautiful daughter. She was about a couple inches shorter than him and raven colored hair draped down her back. He slowly walked over to them.

"You need help moving in?" he asked.

"Yes," she said quickly as she deposited the heavy box into his arms. She grabbed a lighter box and led him into the house. "I'm Kaoru by the way. Why would you be awake at a time like this?" she inquired.

"Trouble sleeping," he replied simply. She led him into an almost empty room and stopped. She put down her box and looked at him. "Where would you like this?"

"You can put it down near the door."

They walked back outside and Kaoru found her parents. "Mom, Dad? This is…" she trailed off after realizing she didn't know his name.

"Kenshin," he filled in for her. "I live next door."

"Nice to meet you," they stated as they continued into the house.

Kenshin still helped them and they were soon done in no time. By no time it was actually after midnight. They didn't really have enough time to empty the boxes and get a healthy amount of sleep.

"I know that there won't be enough time for you guys to finish moving in, so I thought that maybe you guys would like to sleep over my house tonight. There's a guest room and a couch," Kenshin suggested. 'What am I saying?' Kenshin asked himself. 'But I guess what's said is said.'

"Sure but what about your parents?" Kaoru's mom asked.

"And what if I don't have any?" Kenshin spitted out. The words came out harsher than he would have wanted them to.

"Oh," they all sighed and followed him next door.

They stayed silent as he unlocked the door and held the door as they walked in. He flicked on the lights and they flinched at the change of lighting. Kenshin led the parents to the guest room and slowly walked back with blankets to meet Kaoru, already making herself cozy on the sofa.

"Here." He handed them to her and sat on the coffee table staring.

"What?" She asked as she turned to look at him.

"Nothing… It's just that you look… familiar. Strange thing about it is that I've never seen you before in my life."

"Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else?"

"I dunno. Maybe. You better get some sleep for school tomorrow." Kenshin stood up and slowly walked to his room.

"Yeah. Good night."

"G' night," Kenshin said before he totally left.

Kaoru heard his door shut and shifted so that she was sleeping on her side. Minutes passed by without her getting any sleep but she also heard quick paced footsteps coming from Kenshin's room. Gradually the footsteps slowed to a stop and she able to get some sleep.

Kenshin on the other hand, was having one of his worst nights ever. He decided he shouldn't sleep and sat on the window seat looking out into the night.

The next morning Kaoru woke to hear the clanging of pots and pans cooking breakfast. She hurriedly grabbed her suitcase and ran to the bathroom to get ready. By the time she was out Kenshin already had breakfast served and was eating. The wonderful aromas of a hot breakfast reached her and she grabbed the seat across Kenshin. She stuffed her face and forgot she was in someone else's household. She realized when she finished. Kenshin didn't really look like he minded so she went to wake her parents.

Soon after Kenshin and Kaoru walked to school together. They didn't talk and only an awkward silence lay between them. The silence was interrupted when Sano came bursting in.

"Kenshin! How you feeling today?"

"Fine."

"Okay…" Sano turned to find Kaoru looking at him strangely. " Who's the chick?"

"My neighbor. She just moved in last night. Name's Kaoru," Kenshin replied dully.

"New, huh? Maybe we should hook up after school for a little tour of the city."

"This 'chick' is not available and you won't get her," she stated firmly.

The entire time they walked to school, Kenshin kept quiet while Sano hit on Kaoru and kept asking her out only to be turned down every time. No sooner than, they reached the large building of education. Sano left them in the front of the building as he went to his locker.

Turning to Kaoru he asked, "What's your first class?"

"History."

"Me too. I can show you the way if you want but first I have to go to my locker and grab my books."

"Sure."

She followed closely behind but not to close. She didn't want him to think that she was scared but she stayed pretty close, not wanting to get lost on her first day to her new school. She was looking behind her and didn't notice when Kenshin stopped. Because of this, she bumped into him.

"Oops. I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," she blabbered.

"That's okay. Just follow me this way." He started walking and Kaoru stumbled to catch up.

They entered the room and Kenshin took a seat in the back next to Sano. Kaoru was attacked with questions from a strange girl with blue braided hair.

"Hey, are you new? When did you move? Are you planning to stay? How many friends did you make so far? Do you want to be my friend? Oh, and what's your name?" She finally stopped to catch her breath.

"Um… yes. Yesterday. Yes. One. Sure. And Kaoru. Now I've got one for you," Kaoru answered baffled.

"Shoot it."

"Who are you?"

"I am the ever so famous Misao Mikamachi. Come and meet my other friends." She led Kaoru to the other side of the room near the window where a group of girls were talking.

"So Kenshin, get any sleep?" Sano asked.

"Nah… didn't need any," Kenshin replied as his eyes started drooping.

"Doesn't look like it to me." Kenshin's eyes closed and he fell to sleep.

The teacher walked in and took a look around the room. He stared at Kenshin and then turned to Sano. Sano just shrugged his shoulders and the teacher moved on.

"Class, today we have a new student who will be joining us. Kaoru, if you would please stand in front and introduce us to you." He walked off to the side, as Kaoru stood with all eyes intent on her.

"_Kenshin?" he heard. Again the same voice pierced his peaceful mind of state. "Kenshin!" It sounded worried now. Quiet small slaps to the ground were heard until they become urgent as if they were running._

Class was quiet until a loud screeching of the chair against the floor broke the silence. Kenshin stood before his desk, eyes wide, and stared blindly into space.

"Mr. Himura?" Kenshin heard nothing. "Do you need to be somewhere?" Still nothing. Everything said to him only went through one ear and out the other. Again and again everybody tried to get through to Kenshin. Nothing worked.

"Kenshin, man, you alright?" Sano asked. Kenshin stayed silent.

"Kenshin?" He turned to look. Everyone else in the class also turned. They faced the Kaoru. Somehow, Kaoru's small voice had penetrated Kenshin's mind. "Kenshin? Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"No…no…no…" Kenshin mumbled. Over and over the only words heard were those. Murmurs rose throughout the class and Kenshin jolted out the door and out the building. Sano followed at a slower pace just because he couldn't keep up with Kenshin's sprinting.

"Class. Everyone, quiet down." He waited until the class simmered down and then continued. "Finish the work and –" Just as he was about to finish, Kaoru got up and went after Kenshin. He looked at her back inquiringly, "A teacher will be sent down."

Whispers and mutters started erupting room the classroom as soon as he left them to follow Kaoru. He carefully stepped and avoided any glances that Kaoru would take behind her shoulder every once in a while.

Back at home Kenshin opened his kitchen drawers and stared at the knife that lay before his eyes. He reached for it, but he had no idea why. As soon as his fingers gripped the handle, he realized that life was not meant for him. He stood there with the knife and thought about his situation. If he killed himself there, people might suspect neighbors of murder and he really didn't want the burden his new neighbors with that. He came up with the idea of him going away. He covered the knife and left his house. He hopped onto his motorcycle and rode away.

He must have still been in a daze the entire time because Sano was watching him from outside. As he saw Kenshin leave the house, he hid. He still followed Kenshin at a sprint for he had no mode of transportation. Sano had felt something in the air but he ignored it. He didn't know that this was a sign a warning of what was to come next.

**.:. A/N- Late update as usual. This time I have an excuse. It's that I was getting hard wood floors upstairs and we had to move everything out and back and we had to redecorate and stuff. You ask about the other months? My answer: author's block and laziness. **

**But if it wasn't for my friend BR bugging me at school, I wouldn't have this up until like- never. Um… I've really been procrastinating my IPS studying and the test is this Thursday. Okay, okay, I'll shut up now. Well, one more announcement. Next update will be no later than my birthday (June 18) and updates should be faster now that it's almost summer.**

**Reviews are nice.:. **


	4. Suicide

**Stuck In This World**

**Chapter Three: Suicides**

**Disclaimer: My birthday wish is to own RK. Now that you know my bday wish, I guess it won't come true.**

Sano ran and ran after Kenshin. Very soon after, Sano had started to lose Kenshin. He didn't care and just continued to go forward. About five minutes later, Sano spotted Kenshin's bike sticking out the forest. Kenshin had tried to hide it but Sano spotted it in the corner of his eye.

He ran towards it and followed the path of broken twigs and branches that Kenshin had left. Running out of breath, he slowed down and hid behind a tree. He found Kenshin in a clearing close to the center of the forest.

"KENSHIN!" Sano screamed as he saw that Kenshin had the knife in his hand.

Kenshin slowly turned his head in the direction of Sano's voice. Sano ran to where Kenshin stood.

"What are you doing?" He looked down and remembered the knife Kenshin had. He pondered the thought for a second. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "Kenshin, man. You can't do what I'm thinking your gonna do with that knife."

Kenshin stepped out of the daze he's been in.

"What if I am? Yes, I'm going to commit suicide! You can't stop me!" Kenshin held the knife above his chest and Sano lunged at him.

Kenshin and Sano rolled and hit a tree. Kenshin recovered first and held Sano down by one hand and aimed for his chest with the other. Sano rolled to his right, flipping Kenshin's and Sano's positions. Sano planted his hands on Kenshin's shoulders and held them firmly.

"Do you know what are you doing this for?"

"Yes!" Kenshin punched Sano in the gut and stood on his feet with knife still in hand. "Ridding this world of garbage!"

Sano recovered and they circled each other.

"If you were meant to go, you wouldn't be here now!"

This got to Kenshin and he tackled Sano to the ground. He aimed for his neck but was stopped by the hand grabbing his wrist. Sano twisted the arm and punched Kenshin square in the jaw. The knife flew from Kenshin's hand to center of the clearing.

"You've gotten this far! Why quit and waste the 17 years?" Sano screamed at Kenshin.

Kenshin pushed his palm upwards into Sano's nose, causing it to break. That caused Sano to see stars but in that second of daze allowed Kenshin to retrieve his knife. They circled each other again and Kenshin did a leg sweep, which caused Sano to trip. Sano twisted and broke his fall with his hands. Kenshin took this as an advantage and drove the knife into Sano.

The moment that steel had hit flesh, Kenshin came to his senses. He stared around himself. Sano lay on the ground with the blood slowly seeping out of the cut and onto the ground. He pulled the knife out carefully and turned the body onto its back.

_A corpse of a man with spiky brown hair lay on the ground covered with blood._

Kenshin shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his head. He checked the pulse. He felt no blood rushing past his fingertips.

He screamed into the night and allowed tears to escape his eyes. They were quickly absorbed into the ground. Kenshin scurried away from the body.

"This is… just a dream… just a dream. This can't be happening. It's just a dream. A dream. When I wake up, it'll all go away. It'll go away. This isn't real. It's just in my head… just a dream." Kenshin continued to mutter to himself again and again.

After five to ten minutes of muttering, he realized that it was the truth. He had killed his best friend: his only friend.

He looked up and a glistening caught his eye. _He eyed the blade gleaming in the moonlight._ He turned to the blade and slowly started towards it. _Kenshin halted just inches from the knife._ Kenshin stared at the knife, just within hand reach. Kenshin took up the knife and thrust it into his chest. _Slowly, he fell to the earth, growing numb._

Kaoru spotted Kenshin just as he fell to the ground. She yelled his name as she ran towards him. She reached him in no time at all and got on her knees near Kenshin. She pressed her hands to the wound, praying that the bloodflow would stop.

The teacher, Mr. Hiko Seijuro, ran towards Kaoru's voice and spotted the three of them in the clearing in the forest. He ran towards Kaoru and the fallen Kenshin.

"Mr. Seijuro. It won't stop. The blood, it won't stop." Tears fell to the ground as she looked up at him pleadingly.

"Don't worry, I'll call an ambulance," he tried to say reassuringly but his voice wavered. "Go check on Sano. Make sure he's still alive."

Mr. Seijuro turned his back to her as he opened his phone and dialed. Still shaken by what she saw, she quietly went to Sano. She sat next to him and pressed her fingers to his throat. She felt no blood flow. She hurried to her feet and ran to Hiko.

"Mr. Seijuro, Sano… Sano's dead," she softly whispered after he had hung up. She faced the ground and tears fell from her eyes.

"No. That's impossible. He can't be dead. Not him or Kenshin," he said faintly.

He walked over to Sano and saw his paled face. It only took one second for him to turn his head away.

They both took a seat against the tree near the entrance to the clearing. Only a couple of minutes and they soon heard sirens. They quickly but quietly stood up as paramedics rushed in with stretchers. They gathered the two bodies and hurried them into the ambulance along with Kaoru and Mr. Hiko.

"So, young miss, what is it that exactly happened?" a young man asked Kaoru as she sat next to Kenshin in the ambulance.

"I don't know. I didn't get there in time." She paused. "All I saw was Kenshin falling and I rushed to his side."

He took a mental note on the things Kaoru said. He turned to face Mr. Hiko and asked the same question.

"I don't know what happened either. I came rushing in when I heard Kaoru yelling."

Everyone else stayed quiet the rest of the ride to the hospital. They arrived pretty soon but to Kaoru and Hiko, it seemed like hours.

As Sano and Kenshin were rushed in, everyone stopped to stare. Kaoru and Hiko were asked to stay in the waiting room while they were operating. After a couple minutes of waiting, Kaoru went to call her parents to tell them that she would be staying until Kenshin and Sano woke. Mr. Hiko decided to call the Sagaras and the Himuras to tell them what had happened.

"… Yes, I believe he will do well… Please don't bother to come. He'll be fine. No need to worry… Yes. I will call if he wakes… Yes… Bye." He kept his voice steady through the line even if he was lying.

Next, he had to call the Himuras. He dialed Kenshin's home number and waited. No one answered. He hung up and tried again. Again, no answer. He tried a couple more times and to no avail. He gave up and went back to the waiting room.

Kaoru sat in the chair closest to the ER door. Mr. Hiko took a seat across her. They sat silently. Hours of waiting and cans of soda and juice put Kaoru to sleep. Mr. Seijuro had asked for a blanket for Kaoru. He put it on top of her and took a seat next to her immobilized body. Soon, he too fell asleep.

Hours later, the door to the ER swung open revealing a surgeon. He walked up to the two sleeping people and they quietly awoke.

"Are you friends or family to the two in surgery?" he asked them.

"Friends," Mr. Seijuro replied.

"Then, I'm sorry. Only family may see the two at this time."

"But we need to see them," Kaoru said pleadingly.

"Why is that?"

"We're probably the closest to family as one of them got," Kaoru whispered.

"And the other man's family won't be coming as I told them I would tell them of the process of their son. Please, let us see them."

"Very well. Follow me." He started walking and the two followed. "They have been put into rooms. This will be temporary as they need to be operated more tomorrow. I will need a parent or guardian permission to go through with surgery. Please inform the parents to the two patients." He stopped and the others froze in their tracks. "These are there rooms." He spread his arms and indicated the two rooms next to each other. "Take care." He left them in the hall.

"I guess we should go see them?" Mr. Seijuro questioned more than stated.

Kaoru mutely nodded.

They both entered the nearest room, which was Sano's. He lay on his bed still, with the persistent beeping to tell all that he was even alive. He slept peacefully even though there were tons of tubes attached to him. They moved on to Kenshin's room.

He also lay in bed though not as quietly as Sano. His chest heaved when he tried to breathe and sweat poured over his face. More tubes than Sano were attached to Kenshin.

"I'm going to stay with Kenshin," Kaoru whispered to Hiko.

"If you want to. I guess I'll stay with Sano. If anything changes with Kenshin, come to me or call the doctor or someone." Mr. Seijuro left the room and went into Sano's room.

Inside both rooms, they each found a chair and dragged it closer to the bed.

Kaoru hooked her hand with Kenshin's. His touch was still cold. She softly spoke to him.

Mr. Seijuro just eyed Sano carefully.

Soon nurses came to both rooms and offered the visitors pillows and blankets to make themselves comfortable.

**.: Okay, so I lied. It ended up not being updated till now. I was being lazy, again. I did say that I might update quicker in the summer but maybe not till after July 4th.**

**Reviews please.:.**


	5. Reality

**Stuck In This World **

**Chapter Four: Reality**

**Disclaimer: Waiting for the copyright to expire.**

They both fell asleep watching the still bodies on the beds. Silence- beside the constant beeping of the heart monitors- filled the hospital. The only noises heard were of the security guards and a few nurses who still had the night shift. It was quiet and peaceful- quiet enough to hear a pin drop- and that only means trouble.

Soon, the quiet was filled with none other than the monotone beep of the heart monitor, alerting all the staff members and the room occupant that a heart has stopped pumping blood. Hiko abruptly woke up. He jumped from his chair and tried to blink the sleep from his eyes, while Kaoru entered the room rubbing her eyes. The doctors pushed the two to the far corner of the room while they started to try to get his heart beating again. Hiko and Kaoru shared glances as the doctors worked. Tears were forming in Kaoru's eyes.

After a few minutes of getting no response, the doctors unplugged the heart monitor. One of the doctors walked towards them and ushered them out. As he followed them into the hall, he slowly took off his cap. Others were entering the room with a body bag. Kaoru quickly turned around as Hiko tried to comfort her.

"I am sorry to inform you that Sanosuke Sagara has just passed on," the doctor stated in a monotone. He slowly and quietly made his way down the hall.

Minutes later, Kaoru's sobs ceased and Hiko led her back into Kenshin's room. Once she was seated and comfortable as her situation allowed, Hiko excused himself.

"I need to call Sano's parents and tell them about… all this."

Hiko made his way back and sat in the chair next to Kaoru. He heaved a sigh and quietly told Kaoru about the phone call.

"As soon as I told them, they were all having break downs. And then, they blamed me for it, can you believe it?" Hiko let out a little forced chuckle and stopped when Kaoru glared at him. "But, they said that they would be planning his funeral. They said that it would be in a week's time and that everyone from his class is invited."

The night passed without another word. The two sat in a silence as they tried to get some sleep but all this excitement would not allow it. They sat through the night and continued to watch as Kenshin's breath started to regulate.

The next day, the doctor who was supposed to operate on Kenshin walked into the room to find the two figures sleeping against each other. He went to Hiko and carefully shook him awake.

Hiko yawned and stretched. He slowly got up from his seat and walked out of the room and followed the doctor.

"Excuse me, sir. I need a permission to continue to operate on Kenshin Himura. Are you a family member of his?"

"I'm not but I do believe that he doesn't have any parents," Hiko said. The doctor gave him a questioning look. "I tried contacting his parents yesterday to tell them about the incident but no one picked up. Also, on his school records, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that he does have a guardian. May I ask to sign as his guardian?"

"If you do sign, we would like to inform you that you would be in full responsibility of the bills and operation."

"Yes. I fully understand this."

"Then, please sign here on this line."

Hiko signed and the two walked back into the room. They walked in to find Kaoru by Kenshin's side and softly whispering to the immobile figure and gently stroking his hand. The doctor stopped by the door and asked Hiko to retrieve Kaoru and wait in the waiting room for the operation to complete. Hiko went to Kaoru and brought her out as more doctors came and brought his bed out.

"Come on, Kaoru. We need to get some breakfast," Hiko stated.

"No, thank you, Mr. Seijuro. I would like to wait here in case they would come out and need more information or such things."

"I'm sure they wouldn't need anything else. They've gotten everything we've given them." Kaoru sat in the seat with her hands in her lap and shook her head violently. "Ok then, I'll bring you back something to eat, while you wait."

Kaoru nodded her head and stared straight at the doors. She had a determined look in her eyes, though Hiko did not know why. Hiko left and returned about and hour later. He came in to find Kaoru still in the exact same spot where he had left her.

"I didn't know what you would've liked so I brought you a little bit of everything."

Kaoru took the paper plate without a word. She nibbled a bagel ad put it back down. She continued to stare straight forward at the operation room doors.

Another hour passed and finally the doors opened. A surgeon entered and pulled down his mask. He took his cap off and walked toward the two sitting in the seats.

Hiko and Kaoru were so frightened that they were frozen to their seats. The surgeon continued to walk towards them and the two parents behind Hiko and Kaoru stood up. They were escorted out of the waiting room as the mother broke out into tears.

A wave of relief flowed over the two left sitting in the room though this relief did not last long. Another surgeon soon after and they Kaoru gathered herself and stood before him. Hiko also stood after he took a glance at the man because the surgeon had not taken off his cap.

The man continued forward and stopped when he reached the two.

"I am pleased to say that the operation went well. I am sure that you two are wondering why Mr. Himura survived when Mr. Sagara didn't."

The surgeon looked at the two for clarification. They both nodded their heads.

"Well, as it turns out, Mr. Himura- in his rage when fighting Mr. Sagara- had actually driven the knife into his heart. But in the situation with Mr. Himura, he was so shaken up with the whole situation that his hand was trembling and missed the heart and pierced a lung. We were just lucky that the wound was not as deep as Mr. Sagara's.

"With the surgery we have been able to repair the damage done to the lung and he will be fine in a couple weeks."

"If I may ask, why did Kenshin seem to be in a more critical condition compared to Sano?" Hiko asked the doctor.

"I believe that the answer to that question would be that, Kenshin seemed to be in a state of shock. The other doctors probably had mistaken his shock for a more serious condition."

"If Kenshin's fine, are we able to go see him?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes you may. We put him in a room on the fifth floor. Just be warned that it will not be a pretty picture."

"Yes, we are aware of this fact," Hiko stated because Kaoru was already making her way to the elevator.

Hiko quickly ran after Kaoru and caught the door just in time.

"That's great, isn't it?"

Kaoru nodded her head.

"This incident left her with few words in her vocabulary," Hiko muttered under his breath.

The rest of the elevator ride's silence was filled with nervous energy. Soon, the elevator came to a stop with a ting.

They both stepped out of the elevator. Kaoru stopped suddenly and nervously looked at the ground. Hiko stopped as well when he realized that she had stopped.

"Come on, Kaoru."

She continued to stare at the ground.

"Let's get going." He gently tugged on her elbow. "You did want to see him after all."

Kaoru started moving in small careful steps. After a couple more minutes, they arrived at Kenshin's door.

They entered and saw him lying in bed. Kaoru hesitated at the door and Hiko pushed her the rest of the way in. She took his hand and sat in the seat nearest the bed.

His hand was cool to the touch. He was pale and his hair had lost some of its red intensity. The two of them were glad to see his chest gently rising and falling, even if it was in short ragged breaths. Hiko took a seat by Kaoru until night had fallen.

"Kaoru. You should get home. It's getting late," Hiko told her.

Kaoru shook her head no.

"If you need a ride, I can drive you back home," Hiko offered.

Again, she shook her head.

Hiko sighed. "Fine. If you want to stay, make sure to call your parents and tell them that you are here. They're probably worried about you."

Kaoru didn't respond. She continued to stare at Kenshin.

"Kaoru?"

She finally gave a little nod to say that she understood.

Hiko sighed once again as he left the room.

"This situation left a kid dead, a kid in the emergency room barely alive, and another kid mute. What am I going to do?" Hiko muttered to himself.

A couple minutes later, Kaoru walked out of the room to stand in the hall. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall. She pulled out her cell phone and slid down till she sat on the floor.

She dialed the familiar number and waited for someone to pick up. Three rings later her father had finally picked up.

"Hello? Dad? Yeah, it's me, Kaoru. I'm at the hospital. No, I'm not hurt but Kenshin is really hurt. It's Kenshin, our neighbor. Remember? He's in critical condition, they said. Yeah. I want to stay over night and stay by him till he gets better. You and mom are going to come over tomorrow? Okay. You'll bring me some of my stuff? Okay. Okay. Bye." Kaoru hung up and heaved another heavy sigh.

She hung her head and stayed on the ground for a couple minutes. She soon fell asleep. Her dreams plagued her with images of the frightening sight she had seen in the forest clearing. A couple hours later the night nurse, who seemed to notice Kaoru's nightmares, waked her. Kaoru walked back into the room to find Kenshin in the same condition as when she left him. She took the seat once again and held his hand until the sun was up.

A nurse walked in at about 7 o' clock in the morning and led Kaoru to another room to let catch up on her sleep. Kaoru fell into a dreamless sleep. A little after noon, Kaoru woke. She walked back into Kenshin's room to find him missing. Her face showed clear shock and she ran out into the hall and into a nurse.

"Where is he? Where?" she screamed at the nurse.

"Who?" she was calm even though Kaoru was panicking.

"Kenshin! Where is he!" Kaoru frantically pointed to his room.

"Oh. That patient was moved to the C wing." The nurse sighed and pointed Kaoru in its general location.

Without even a thanks, Kaoru rushed down the hall. She continued to search the halls and rooms till she saw his name on a door. She carefully walked in panting and peered around the room. She caught his still figure still lying in bed. She took his hand and held on to it with dear life. She sat in the seat by the bed and whispered into their entwined hands.

"Thank god you're safe. Thank god. I don't know what I can do without you."

A nurse was just about to walk in but she glanced the two figures in the room and quietly walked out again.

"I'll just come back later," she told herself.

**Okay, okay. I know that every single person that read this fic would want to throw rocks at me but here is the update. Yes, finally.**

**Kingdomheartschic13- Thanks for reviewing (three times)! You were the one who got me started on writing this fic again!**

**Reignashii- Ah, unfortunately, I am not dead. Yeah, unfortunately because, then I would be able to have an excuse for this extremely late update. **

CuteandPetite- Thanks for the review! I would love it if you review again.

**superfreakyy681- Slowly hands chapter to superfreakyy and run for my life **

Jasmine Battousai- Hey, thanks for understanding. Thanks for the compliment and here's the next chapter. 

**Miharu Kawashi- Aww. Is it really that sad? Well then, this chapter is way sadder. But thanks for loving it!**

**Evilalternateendingstorywriter- Yeah, yeah. Everyone would like to know what's gonna happen (including me). PS. I like your name. )**

Antigone- Interesting. That's a way to say it. I'm glad you like it.

aya nightwing- Yes. It's been past 3 weeks but here it is. And you said please! Only you and evilalternateendingstorywriting said please! I liked the roar btw. It added a nice touch to the review. Lol

**Thanks to you all for reading! I can't believe that there are so many who like the fic! Well, I will keep continuing the fic. Please review! It'll help fuel me to write the next chapter.**


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